Impressive fact about the health of athletes who compete in the Olympic Games and amaze the planet with their achievements, research reveals
An impressive fact about the health of athletes competing in the Olympic Games amazes the planet with their achievements, reveals a 2023 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports: 15%-20% of athletes participating in competitions have asthma!
The same study reports that up to 80% of endurance athletes are affected by exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), also known as exercise-induced asthma.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness, which in extreme cases can lead to a life-threatening asthma attack.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 455,000 deaths related to the condition worldwide in 2019.
Why do so many Olympians have asthma?
According to the nonprofit, high-intensity exercise triggers symptoms in 9 out of 10 people with asthma. Asthma + Lung UK. It can have a similar effect on those without a pre-diagnosis of asthma.
John Dickinson, professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Kent, told Euronews Health: “If you exercise, you are twice as likely to develop an asthma-related condition compared to the general population alone.”
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) or exercise-induced asthma is a condition caused by vigorous physical activity, particularly in cold and dry conditions.
“When we exercise, our ventilation rate increases, so we breathe more air. And a large part of this air passes through our mouth. So when it goes into our lungs, it’s pretty dry and it’s not filtered or warmed up,” he said.
“The airways of athletes with exercise-induced asthma become dehydrated because they have to humidify the air they just inhaled. This causes a kind of inflammatory reaction. And then there’s this muscle contraction around the airway,” he said.
The condition is more likely to affect endurance athletes, such as skiers, cyclists and runners, who participate in sports and compete in cold weather, he said.
According to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, swimmers have a higher chance of developing asthma than athletes who participate in other water sports.
This is believed to be due to chlorine by-products on the surface of the pool, which can irritate the lungs.
Many athletes have achieved incredible things despite asthma.
British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe, who was diagnosed with exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) as a teenager, held the Women’s World Record for 16 years, and American athlete and asthmatic Jackie Joyner-Kersee won six Olympic medals. (three were gold) during his career.